Improvement in wooden coffins



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE, f

y MAHLON R. MARGERUM, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN WOODEN COFFINS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent N0.,50,144, dated September 2G, 1865.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, MAHLoN R. AEGE- RUM,.of the city of Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of N ew Jersey, have invented a new and usef'ul Improvement iu the Goustruction ot' Wooden Oofns, whereby it is believed time, labor, and expense in said construction will be saved; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descrip"- tion thereof, reference being had to the accom! panying drawings, and to the letters ot' reference marked thereon.

Figure l is a perspective View of a coffin constructed as herein described, whereof A represents the curved or bent head, and B C the at and sloping sides 5 D, the foot or smaller end ofthe coffin.

The nature of my invention consists, rst, in making the sides and rounded head ot' the coffin ot' one entire piece of wood, the rounded head being formed by bending it around to the curve and slope desired for the head of the coflin, and then fastening in the usual way said piece of wood to the bottom and foot D of the coffin. Fig.2 is drawn to illustrate how this one piece to form the sides and head of the coffin may readily be cut out from a suitable board. rIhe dotted lines show the marks or scribingon the board to form the piece therefrom to form the sides and rounded head of the cofn. v

In order to make the wood pliant and pliable, I propose to steam it as in the ordinary way of heating wood for similar purposes.

. In some cases, as for small cofns, or where the head is required to be turned with acurve of short radius, I propose to kerf around the head part ofthe board on the inner side thereof, so as to facilitate the bending thereotl Secondly. I propose to make the tops oi' the coin of suitable wood and tosteam and press them, so as to give them a swell upward, soinewhat similar to the ordinary process of swelling violin tops and bottoms.

l do not claim as new or any part of my invention thc steaming of wood or boards so as t0 make them pliant for the purpose of bending or swelling; nor do I claim making cot'ns with round heads and ends and swelled tops, as these are common, particularly in the nietallic cons; but

Vhat I do claim as my invention,V and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Theforming and constructing the sides and rounded head of wooden cofus with one single or entire piece of wood and bending the same so as to form the con, substantially as above described and herein set forth.

, MAHLON R. MARGERUIN'I;

Witnesses:

CHARLES Po'r'rs, WM. C. HOWELL. 

